Astarien Stormwood
Astairen Stormwood is a Night Elf Druid and self-professed "wandering barbarian diplomat" who seeks to further relations with a large hammer if needs be. He also smirks a lot. Appearance Astairen is of above average height for a Kaldorei man with a toned, muscular build that is typical of his kind. Clearly very physically fit, he carries himself with a confident, capable stride that suggests that he knows what he’s doing – or at least, does a good job of pretending. Astarien has long, dark blue hair that falls down to the middle of his back and always worn loose, as well as a matching goatee beard and sideburns. Certainly better looking then the norm, his confident act is betrayed by his almost constant smirk and the odd slip of the tongue. While measuring the age of a Kaldorei is hard, anyone who stands around him too long gets the distinct impression that he’s on the younger end of things, at least in so far as these things can be determined. His looks are less due to his having the ageless grace of his people and more due to him having only recently reached maturity. Instead of the robes more typical of his kind, Astarien prefers thick combat leathers which he sees as being more practical fore the field. The end result is that he seems to end up looking like a rogue or hunter more then a Druid. Personality In truth, Astarien has few traits that one would associate with the art of diplomacy. He tends to be relatively blunt and direct, saying what he feels needs to be said and then trying to get on with things as quickly as possible. He prefers actions over words, and advocates direct and immediate solutions. It is in this regard that he sees himself as a diplomat; he seeks to aid the allies of the Kaldorei people through directly confronting their problems. When he’s not bashing faces in the name of getting along with people (his words), Astairen is a decent enough person. While committed to the druidic path, he doesn’t remain focused on it to the exception of everything else. He tries his best to be casual and friendly, and likes to spend his idle time socialising. He has something of a roving eye and an eye for (Kaldorei) women, and does like to spend his time chasing attractive girls. So far, however, he seems to be focused on short-term relationships rather then anything permanent. At present, he is focusing on developing his skills in his bear and cat forms, seeing them as a much more viable alternative then hand-to-hand combat in his “natural” form, and knowing that, as a wandering barbarian diplomat, he is often forced into single combat. However, he has a like of casting (or “Spamming” as he puts it) Moonfire whenever possible. Of late, he has developed a few rather odd traits. When using his cat from, he has a tendency to speak in rather odd, clipped and somewhat nonsensical sentences. He will make random comments about his surroundings ("I'm in yer base, killing yer mans"), his tasks at hand ("Grimy custard objectz. I needz them!") or anything else that comes to mind ("Can I pleaz has warpburger?"). Similarly, in sea lion form, he seems to have an obsession with buckets. History I brake for Ancients Astarien was born in the town of Auberdine, on the west coast of Kalimdor, the region now known as Darkshore. His early life was relatively ordinary growing up in the costal town, with little happening save for the odd passing boat to the nearby Silvermyst islands. However, at an early age, he developed something of an interest in the Druidic paths and practices; while most of the Kaldorei druids slept in the Emerald Dream, there were still a few active who helped maintain and preserve the land, ensuring the continuation of their long vigil. As soon as he was old enough, he began his studies into the druidic path; learning the ways of nature and the preservation of the world's balance. He also became aware of his role, and what would be asked of him. Once he was ready, he too would enter the Dream, resting while protecting the world. He knew that this would mean an end to his worldly ties, sacrificing all that he had for the greater good. And it was something that he was prepared for. Or so it seemed. In truth, Astarien was far from a perfect student of his path. Far from dedicated to his lessons, he would often sneak way to enjoy his time he had left. Besides drinking and carousing, he would often spend his time chasing women, determined to enjoy "earthly delights" while he could. While earning himself a few slaps in the process, he did also have a couple of short affairs. I am a bear, rawr And then everything changed. The druids returned to the world, reawakened to fight their old enemy, the Burning Legion. Rather then the long rest that Astarien had expected, he was instead thrown into battle, facing off against the deadly foes of their race. At the end of the day, they were victorious, but at a great price. The World Tree was gone, and with it, the Night Elves' immortality. The remaining Druids vowed to stay in the world, working to undo the damage done. Astarien returned to his training., realising now that not only had his mission changed, but that he had been neglecting his lessons and his vows. It took him several more years, but he eventually was deemed by his superiors to have finished his training and be fully prepared for the strange new world that the Night Elves found themselves a part of. As a way of furthering his training, he was sent out into the world to aid the new allies that the Night Elves had made in the lest few years. That it got him out of his superior's hair probably didn't hurt wither. Speak softly and carry a big hammer After the (unexpected) arrival of the Draenei on the Silvermyst (now Azuremyst) isles, Astarien was sent over there to discover more about the strange new arrivals and to aid them in any way that he could. It was during this period that he developed what he called the "art of wandering barbarian diplomacy". Believing that the Draenei would be more impressed with words rather then actions, he began to lay into the various threats posed to the refugee community on the islands. He particularly seemed to relish going after the Blood Elf invaders who sought to claim the Exodar as their own; while he claimed that it was a simple desire to help, the truth was that he was enjoying laying into some of his race's most hated foes. While his actions were appreciated, his personality often grated on the other Draenei. His tenancy to speak his mind and say what he wanted to would often cause trouble with the more conservative-minded members of their society, and his tenancy to eye the exotic Draenei females didn't help any. However, a brake for his tendencies emerged in the form of a Draenei Paladin he encountered on Bloodmyst isle; known as Tuuron, the Paladin seemed more then willing to aid the young Druid. While initially glad for the help, Astarien soon relaised that Tuuron was both a blessing and a curse. The Paladin's tendency to spend hours talking about anything became rather distracting, while his odd humour and strange jokes were a constant source of confusion. Of course, the inhabitants of Blood Watch didn't mind as such as it kept each the pair of out of everyone else's hair. When he left Bloodmyst, Astarien was glad. Not only had he helped his race's newfound allies, but he was pretty sure that he would never see the Paladin again. It's You Astarien's actions with the Draenei had not gone un-noticed, however. It was soon after he left the islands that he was contacted by the mysterious agency known as The Order. Impressed with his actions as well as the knowledge he had gained of the Draenei as well as the Blood Elves and their plans, they inducted him into their ranks. Astarien saw this as a major opportunity for himself and to further is causes, as well as a chance to impress women with vague hints of a sinister, secret organisation. Or so he hoped. Unfortunately, not too long after joining the Order, he met one of its other new recruits. Unfortunately for him, it was Tuuron. The Paladin was glad to see his "good friend" again. Astarien was less so. Despite this setback, Astarien has continued to work with the order and its members. Well, most of them. After the dissolution of The Order, Asterien joined Bloodforged, a more conventional guild... only to find that Tuuron had also just joined it. Lolcat Brigade While exploring Stranglethorn Vale (And remembering why it was that Elven and Troll races don't get along at all), Astarien met a fellow Kaldorei adventurer, Caderos Howlrunner. Despite their differences - he being loud, unruly and prone to talking like an idiot while Caderos was quiet, reserved and something of a loner - the two found that they shared common goals and beliefs. The pair of them formed an alliance, deciding to work together in their exploration of the world. Nicknamed the "Lolcat brigade" by Astarien (he never actually explained what the name meant, nor did he explain how two Elves and a Cat constituted a "brigade"), the pair of them clashed with numerous foes while exploring some of the most dangerous areas of Azeroth. And while they occasionally personally clashed, they found that their skills and abilities well complimented each other. Their partnership also had other positive benefits; Astarien learned a degree of responsibility that he had previously lacked, while Caderos became more accepting of others. The pair of them continued their adventures, heading through the Dark Portal to outland, determined to explore the alien world to see if it held the answers they sought. category:Characters category:Alliance category:Night Elf category:Druid category:Bloodforged Category:Twing-Twang category:Articles by Rick R